Summer of COVID: Here’s what is on every Lexington family’s shopping wish list
Summer is on the horizon. And parents are getting desperate.
They are staring at the prospect of no pools, no playgrounds, no summer camps, barely a public library ... and soon, no school, not even online, to occupy the kids.
Campgrounds may reopen on June 11 and some youth sports could return on June 15, but it is unclear how many parents will be eager to participate.
Even venues to enjoy the great outdoors and get a refuge from home are likely still to be in limited supply in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Welcome to the Summer of the Backyard. Demand for anything outdoors, from bicycles to boats, swing sets to lawn games is soaring.
Trampoline sales bounding
Despite some supplier shutdowns, area businesses that can surround home exteriors with fun amenities are among those that have maintained some level of stability at this time. And some have thrived.
“I’m somewhat kind of embarrassed that business is so good because of everything that’s going on right now,” said Gunnar Graven, vice president of Steepleton. .
Steepleton, which is based out of Louisville but has a location in Lexington at 2601 Regency Rd., was founded in 1910 and built its reputation on billiards and pool tables.
It has ceased in-home deliveries of its signature products but continues to offer contactless delivery for an array of outdoor items — playground equipment, trampolines, basketball goals — that have seen a surge in popularity due to the closure of city parks across the state.
Nationally, the sale of outdoor and sports toys rose 22 percent during the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, according to The NPD Group. Toy sales as a whole were up 19 percent from March 15-April 18 compared to just a 1 percent increase during the first 10 weeks of the year.
This came even as retail sales as a whole were plunging; retail and restaurant sales overall fell 8.3 percent in March, and double that in April, setting new records.
Graven said most of his vendors’ requests are up anywhere from 200 to 400 percent, but many factories working below maximum output or still shutdown completely, so supplying those requests is difficult.
Steepleton sells a higher-end trampoline brand — SpringFree — and recently has had to tell interested buyers that it will be 6-8 weeks before they can deliver. Most have been okay to wait, in part because of the local touch that big-box retailers can’t provide.
“We’re doing a good job communicating with the customers to give them a lead time,” Graven said. “When you get on Amazon and it says out of stock, you don’t know when that’s gonna be. With our vendors, we’re able to give them a good, fair idea of when they’ll actually receive the product.”
But nothing beats a pool
Scott Farmer, co-founder of Aurora Pools & Spas (1512 Colesbury Circle), got his last shipments of pools in during the first week of March. Measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 went into effect a week later.
“That was the only smart thing I did,” Farmer said. “I was loaded and now we’ve almost sold out of pools already. There’s been nothing like it.”
Farmer said Aurora has sold more than 300 pools already this year has installations booked into August. They normally install 400 above ground pools and 70 inground a year.
“If somebody can tell you they can put your pool in next week, you might want to ask ’em who’s doing it,” he said with a laugh. “Anybody that’s any good in this business is booked.”
And it’s easy to see why: Lexington city pools normally serve 130,000 attendees a summer, according to Monica Conrad, director of parks and recreation.
With city pools closed for now, those swimmers are looking elsewhere.
Pool retailers were ruled an essential business due to maintenance concerns; if pools aren’t treated adequately, a mosquito outbreak can occur, Farmer said. Aurora did not open its doors to the general public, though, opting to offer curbside service in addition to online and phone consultations as needed for surveying projects.
Digital elements were part of the business pre-COVID 19, but their use has escalated. Farmer estimated that at least half of Aurora’s sales in the last two months have been done only over the phone or via the internet.
Both Aurora and Steepleton have seen increased interest in sauna and spa offerings. Graven guessed that people who were used to using those amenities during their trips to the gym were seeking alternatives.
While swimming pools and hot tubs can be sizable upfront investments — the most affordable hot tub on Steepleton’s site is $3,999 and nicer above-ground pools can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, Farmer says — and accrue on-going maintenance costs, such purchases in the short term could provide relief from the virus and in the long term be looked at as a solid investment in entertainment dollars.
“If you go to Disney World with two kids, you’re gonna drop that in three days,” Farmer said. “That pool’s gonna be in your backyard for 20 to 30 years and the enjoyment that your kids and you will get out of that, divide that up into five grand and see what it costs ya.”
Above-ground sales spike
If you can’t get a pool put in the ground, what do you do? Go above ground.
Cameron Heathcoat of Lexington was watching the evening Gov. Andy Beshear announced that pools would not be opening.
She knew immediately that her family’s regular summer of swimming at local pools was done. And plans for roadtrips to Florida and to the Northeast as well.
So she got online, stumbled on a deal on a giant inflatable pool and hit “buy.” She didn’t even stop to measure the yard.
The next day, that same pool had more than doubled in price and now it’s sold out everywhere.
She and her husband, Kevin, are pretty sure this thing is going take up the entire backyard and they are completely fine with that.
“This is the summer that anything goes, as long as everyone’s having fun and making memories,” Cameron Heathcoat said. “Memories that don’t include a mask and COVID.”
They plan to paint the side of their garage white and project movies on there, so they can float in the pool and watch.
“We think this might be the most memorable summer for our kids, and the most fun summer ever,” Kevin Heathcoat said. “The quarantine has really brought our tight-knit family together.”
Bikes on a roll
Cycling has also experienced a surge in popularity; according to the NPD Group, adult leisure bike sales were up 121 in March compared to last year while children’s bike sales saw an increase of 56 percent.
John Baumstark, co-owner of Pedal Power (401 South Upper St.), said the spring season is busy anyway so it’s hard to determine whether or not the coronavirus has outright affected his sales.
There have been a lot of people looking for bikes, though, and keeping up with demand could prove difficult in the months ahead.
“I think we’re better stocked than most but, especially value-conscious bikes, are sold out nationwide from a lot of distributors,” Baumstark said. “What we have on hand is what we have on hand and we’re not necessarily able to pull more in like we normally could.”
Gyms, boats booming too
Some vehicle retailers, like Day’s Boat Sales in Frankfort, were able to operate as normal before being allowed to re-open because most of their business was already conducted online. Prior to the pandemic, boat sales nationally were up two percent from 2019. Hard numbers weren’t available, but anecdotal reports suggest that trend continued as businesses across the country closed.
Sales of home fitness equipment grew by 170 percent. Fitness centers in Kentucky are allowed to re-open on June 1.
